


The Five Stages

by emilyevanston



Series: Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Dirty Talk, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Healthy Relationships, Oral Sex, Plot Twists, Secret Children, Smut, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-09 11:39:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13480728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilyevanston/pseuds/emilyevanston
Summary: When you discover you’re pregnant you’re scared to tell Tony.  Hopefully, you underestimate the man he really is.





	1. Unexpected Father

You sit on the edge of the bath tapping the positive pregnancy test on the porcelain rim of the tub.  You think you should be panicking right now.  This wasn’t planned.  You weren’t even sure how it would go down.  You hadn’t even considered the option of having children.  It was always there in this far off, maybe one day, that’s what people do thing.

You had a career.  Things were going well.  This wasn’t the far off down the road time.  You had things to do.  You were going to cure Bruce.  Can you do both?  That’s something people do right?  It’s not like you were single right?  You had money.  Hiring a nanny wasn’t an unreasonable expectation.

But there was the real problem.  You weren’t single.  You were dating Tony Stark.  The serial philanderer.  The guy who had intimacy issues.  The guy who struggled to even say ‘I love you’ and had to think of other ways to express that he did.  How the fuck was Tony Stark going to deal with hearing the news he was now headed down the path to becoming a father?

He’d certainly never brought up wanting kids with you.  Not once had it even been hinted at.  He was also pushing fifty now.  You’d think if he wanted them he’d have already had them.  Having them now with someone twenty years younger than him might just not seem practical.

So while all these thoughts of how terrible this is.  How bad your luck is that your birth control failed you.  How you had no idea what you should do right now.  You sit thinking you should be panicking, but instead, you feel eerily calm.  Like there are too many emotions for you to feel so instead you feel nothing.

There’s a sudden thud on the door as Tony tries to open it not realizing it’s locked.

“Honey, why is the door closed?”  He says, in a sing-song voice.  In retrospect doing the test in his penthouse and not your own apartment was probably a mistake.  This part of the bathroom is just a shower and a bath too.  So there is no reason for you to have locked it.  You never lock it.  You’re not even sure why you came in here.  It’s not where you took the test.

You get up and unlock the door.  Tony looks you up and down his eyebrows knitted together.  “What’s going on?  I thought you’d be taking a bath.”

You shake your head and turn away from him and he grabs your arm.  “Hey.  Seriously.  What’s wrong?”

You turn back to him and look up into his brown eyes.  The concern is real, and there is faint panic behind them.  He’s not used to you being like this.  You’re usually quick with your words.  Easy to comfort him or to tell him everything is fine in the normal snark that flows between you.

“How do you feel about being a dad?”  You ask.

“You’re hilarious,”  He replies.  “What is it really?”

You laugh.  It’s a little hollow and not really because you think anything is funny.  Of course, he thinks you’re joking.  It’s so far from his sphere of possibility that there’s no way you could be serious.  “I’m pregnant.”

“No, you’re not.  Stop messing with me.  If you’re sick I want to know.”  He says.

You laugh again, this time there is a little more amusement in it.  The fact he is so sure is just quite funny.  After all the years of casual sex and no accidents he actually thinks this is an impossibility.  “Seriously, Tony.”  You say, taking his hand and putting the pregnancy test in it.  “But you obviously don’t want it.  I wasn’t sure.  So … I guess abortion it is.”

Tony looks down at the test and back to you.  His face is blank for a moment.  Still processing the information.  “I don’t know how to read this.”  He says.

“Two lines means positive for pregnancy, Mister Stark.”  FRIDAY answers.

“This is her test right?”  He asks.  That one stings for a second before you realize he doesn’t think you’re trying to scam him, he still thinks this is an elaborate prank.  You sit down on the edge of the bath laughing silently, doubled over and your hands touching the cool tiles of the bathroom floor.

“The test was taken ten minutes ago.  A positive result does align with the fact that her period is two weeks late and she has been suffering from severe nausea the past week.”  The AI responds.

“FRIDAY!”  You yelp getting to your feet and, looking up at the ceiling.  “What the hell?”

“I’m simply explaining to Mister Stark that you are telling the truth.”  She says.

“But you were on birth control,”  Tony says, his tone accusatory.

“I am on birth control.  Present tense.  They aren’t 100% effective though.  How much sex have you had?  I guess the odds weren’t in your favor.”  You answer.

“FRIDAY?”  Tony asks.

“Most modern birth control is not 100%.  The birth control you have been using is an implantation rod containing the hormone etonogestrel.  The rod is still implanted and does not need replacing for another two years.  It is 99.9% effective as a birth control device.”  FRIDAY explains.

“FRIDAY!”  You yelp again.  “That is so invasive.”

“I’m sorry miss.  I just catalog what happens in the tower.”   She replies.

You look at Tony with your eyebrow raised but he’s completely oblivious to your judgment of this invasion of privacy.  Slowly a smile breaks out on his face.  “We’re really going to have a kid?”

You’re taken aback for a moment and can’t think of a thing to say.  Before you have a chance to say anything he’s wrapped you in his arms and is nuzzling against your neck.  “I have seriously got to be the luckiest man alive.  99.9% chance.  That’s one in a thousand.  I have had way more sex than a thousand times.  Shit.  How much have we done it?  Mm… maybe not quite a thousand.  But we’d be getting there.  It’s not every day, but sometimes it’s so many times.”  He babbles.  You smile and card your fingers through his hair, getting caught up in his excitement.  “And then it happens.  And okay, maybe I wasn’t planning this, but I had honestly thought it had gotten to the point that I should put that aside.  But really, if I think about it, I do want that.  And yeah okay, it’s scary.  My dad was… well shit.  So I don’t have the best role model.  But with you.  You I can see raising a kid with.”

He stops suddenly and holds you out at arm’s length his face fallen.  “Fuck. You want an abortion.  Sorry.  I got carried away.  I’ll… I’ll support your decision.”

You can tell that was hard for him to say.  The words seem forced and like they don’t belong to him.  You shake your head.  “I don’t know what I want honestly.”  You reply.  “Wasn’t in the ol’ game plan, Old Man.”

“I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want.”  He says.  “Especially not that.  You think maybe we should have this conversation not in the middle of my bathroom?”

You nod and follow him out to the kitchen.  You sit at the kitchen table but Tony isn’t able to keep still.  He moves around the room pulling out a teapot you’ve never even seen him use before and putting on a kettle to boil.  He then gets his french press and you watch as he adds tea leaves to the pot and coffee grounds to the press.  “Since when do you have loose leaf tea?   Or a teapot?”

“It’s for guests.”  He snarks. “I know how to show people a good time.”

“You sure do.”  You tease.

He looks at you with one eyebrow raised and a half smile on his lips.  For a moment you forget why you came in here.  It’s just you and Tony flirting over coffee like you’ve done hundreds of times before.

“Is that so, darling?  Maybe I can put you up on the counter and show you a good time right here and now?”

You get up and approach him.  Your fingers trail from his abs to his chest.  “Maybe you should.”  You say.

He grabs your thighs and lifts you onto the kitchen counter and you start kissing furiously.  It’s a battle for control and neither of you is conceding.  Your tongues circle each other and you bite ate each other’s lips.  Tony pulls away abruptly and rests his head on your chest.

“We should talk.  You know… open communication.  That’s what my therapist keeps harping on about.”  Tony says.

“Don’t talk about Sedona like that.”  You scold.

“Don’t defend her just because you think she’s hot.”  Tony returns.

You open your mouth in mock outrage, despite the fact you do indeed think Tony’s therapist is extremely hot.  She’s also extremely good at her job and you get the feeling if it weren’t for her the reaction he was having right now would have been quite different.  Part of you wonders what their next appointment is going to be like after this.

You rest your forehead on Tony’s and sigh.  “I am not opposed to having the baby, Tony.  It just wasn’t expected.  And I thought you’d be mad.”

“Why would I be mad?”  He asks sounding a little hurt.

You shrug.  “I was mad. I’m on birth control to stop this from happening.  And like you said, you’ve gone a really, really, really long time without having any.  I thought you didn’t want them.”

“Was that a subtle dig about my age?”  He teases.

You smirk.  “A little bit.”

He chuckles and engulfs you in his arms.  You snuggle in under his chin and he presses a kiss to the top of your head.  “You are such trouble.”

“I know.“  You reply.  “I don’t want to stop working.”

Tony laughs and pulls back to look at you.  “Who are you talking to?  Why would I make you give up that?  You’re so close to that breakthrough.  I want to see it.”

“You really think nothing will change?”  You ask.

Tony starts laughing again.  “You’re killing me today.”  He says.  “Of course it will, dummy.  It’s a baby.”

“Tony.”  You whine.

He wraps his arms around you again.  “I can not believe you’re making me be the rational one here.  You get ten more minutes of it tops.  You know that… I love…”  He pauses and takes a deep breath.  “I fucking love you okay.  I do.  And if you want to take this step I want it, I just… the words… you know?”

You nod your head.  “You need to work on that.  You can’t just repeat Howard’s mistakes.”

He nods.  “I know.  I’ll tell them all the time.  Don’t worry.”

You look up at him.  “Alright.  Let’s give it a go.”

“You should move into the penthouse.”  He says.

“Yeah.  Okay.”  You agree.

“Alight good.  Good.  Big life changes.  Got an heir to the fortune.”  Tony says stepping back and looking at you.  “Now where were we?”

You grab his collar and pull him in into a hard kiss.  He rolls his hips against you and you can feel his cock start to stiffen as you dance your tongues together.  The two of you kiss until your lips start to tingle from the scratch of his beard.  Your hand slips into his pants and you wrapped your fingers around his cock and starts to slowly pump.  He makes a strangled moan into your mouth.

You slip off the counter and spin him around.  You drop to your knees unfastening his belt and pulling his jeans down just enough to free his cock.  It springs up and you run your tongue along the length of his shaft before swirling it around the head and lapping up the sticking bead of precome that had pooled on the tip.

His hands fist in your hair as you pull his cock into your mouth and thrust your head down, so your lips touch on his groin and your airways are blocked.

“Fuck.”  He groans and you start to bob your head up and down.

You move your head, sucking up and down and swirling your tongue.  You use it to massage his shaft.

“Mister Stark there is a call from your law office,”  FRIDAY says.

Tony groans again.  “Tell them I’m not in.”  He says, a slight whine in his voice.

“They’re insisting it’s urgent.”  FRIDAY insists.

You pull off his cock and look up at him, a wicked smile on your lips.  “Take it.”  You purr.

He chuckles and shakes his head.  “You dirty bitch.”  He teases.  “Put it through, FRIDAY.”

You return to sucking his cock as there is a click over the speakers.  “Talk to me.”  Tony says, trying to hide the shake to his voice.

“Mister Stark, it’s Mike Abrams.  We’ve been contacted by a woman claiming to be your daughter.”  A male voice responds.

You stall for a moment looking up at Tony he shakes his head like it’s nothing and rolls his hips forward.  “Why are you coming to me with this. It wouldn’t be the first time.  Run the tests, show her the door.”

“We have run the tests, Mister Stark,”  Mike responds.

You pause again and this time Tony pulls back.  You get to your feet as he pulls his jeans back on.  “You what?”

“We ran the tests.  She’s a match.  Her story checks out.  She’s your daughter.”  Mike replies.

You reach out to Tony and take his hand, running your thumb over the back of it, in what you hope is a soothing motion.  “What?  I can’t… How… Who is… Who is this woman?”  Tony asks.

“Her name is Sarah Walker.  Her mother’s name is Evelyn Walker.  You met her at a party you went to instead of showing up to the MET Gala in 1991.  She grew up in Westchester.”   Mike explained.

“Right.  Right.  Wait, did you say 1991?  But that means…”  He says and looks at you.

You stare at him wide-eyed.  “She’s my age.”  You mouth.


	2. 1. Denial, 2. Anger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony has a lot of trouble dealing with the news he has an adult daughter the same age as his girlfriends, but the surprises keep coming.

“What if we went to school together?  What if I took Calculus with her, Tony?”  You ask, shaking Tony’s arm as he sits beside you on his couch pinching the bridge of his nose.  “Tony, what if I’m pregnant with twins?  Then you’ll have three kids all at once?  Oh… oh… what if she has kids?   You’ll be a grandfather, Tony?  Would that make me a grandmother?”

Your mind is going at a mile a minute and every little thought that passes through your mind come pouring out of your mouth in an assault on Tony Stark.  You can’t seem to stop yourself and you’re not even sure if they’re things you’re actually worried about or if you’re trying to make light of the situation.  A tiny part of you worries that maybe you’re trying to hurt him because none of this is good.  None of it.  Not the fact that you were so much younger than your boyfriend.  Not the fact you were now pregnant with him when you didn’t plan to be.  Not the fact that he found out within the same hour that you were pregnant that he was already a father.  Not the fact that the child that he had from another relationship was your age.  Nor that she grew up in the same area of New York that you did.  It was all horrible but you can’t stop throwing fuel on the fire.  It just keeps coming out of you in a verbal deluge of nonsense.

“Tony, what if she’s married to one of my ex-boyfriends?”

Tony pats you on the head with the hand not rubbing the corners of his eyes.  “Hush now, dear.”  He says.

You shake his arm again.  “What are we going to do, Tony?”

He looks up at you and for a moment he just looks like a terrified child.  You wrap your arms around him and he clings to you, hiding his face in your chest.  He doesn’t say anything he just holds you.  When he looks back up at you he’s himself again, smug and sure of himself.  “It’s probably a mistake.  Nothing to worry about.  I mean let’s think about it logically.  If they were mine, why wouldn’t I have heard about them now?  I’m a billionaire.  No one’s going to keep that a secret.  Imagine how much child support they could have been getting.”

You look at him puzzled.  “Tony they already did the tests.”

He waves you off, getting up from the chair and he paces a little not really looking at you.  “I’ve probably had two paternity accusations a year since the first time I ended up in the paper because of some party I went to.  It’s never amounted to anything.  This is a mistake.  Something went wrong.  Don’t worry about it.   Let’s just worry about you, okay?”

You run your hand over your stomach while still watching Tony, but not really sure what to do about this denial he’s going through right now.  “Tony?”

“I’m going to the lab, okay?  It’ll be fine.  Don’t worry about it.”  He says and heads straight to the elevator leaving you there wondering what the hell you’re going to do.

The next two weeks Tony seemed to just live in a bubble of denial that nothing rational was breaking through.  You had a doctors appointment and found out that you were five weeks pregnant so you booked in your first ultrasound for eight weeks.  In a lesson in terrible timing that was also the week Tony’s lawyers had set to meet his daughter, Sarah.  The anxiety on top of the gradual build-up of your morning sickness meant you were a mess.  Your skin was off color, you were nauseated and weak.

Sarah was first.  Right up until the day the plan was meet in front of lawyers, prove it was a lie, then sweep the whole thing away.  You weren’t even going to go.  On the morning of the meeting, you wake up early rush to the bathroom and violently started throwing up.

Tony comes in behind you and paces.  “I don’t think I can do this.”

“Do you think…”  You start saying but another wave of nausea takes you over and you start throwing up again.  “…we can talk about this when I’m not hugging porcelain?”  You finish after it passes.

Tony half-heartedly rubs your back.  “I can’t believe someone would keep that I was a dad a secret.  I swore if I ever had kids I wouldn’t be the absent, cold, piece-of-shit Howard was and she didn’t even give me a chance.”  His fury at the situation he’s been placed in is dotted with the sound of your heaving into the toilet bowl.

You finally feel like there is nothing else you can throw up and you get up, flush, and go out into where the vanity is and start brushing your teeth.  “It’s not your fault, Tony.”  You say with your toothbrush in your mouth.

“I know that.”  He snaps.  “That’s my point.  I didn’t even get a chance.  Who the fuck does her mother think she is keeping that from me?  And now Sarah wants to meet me?  She probably hates me for something I had zero control over.  Probably just here to get money from me.”

You spit toothpaste out into the sink, your mouth already feeling a little better.  You look at Tony not exactly sure what to say.  Part of you is glad that he’s finally stopped denying the truth of the matter, but this anger isn’t exactly much better.

Not to mention you’ve been barely keeping your own in check.  You have all these thoughts that keep picking at you.  They are nasty and you know not logical but they don’t want to leave.  Things like the fact she’s stolen the excitement from your pregnancy and now it’s just a side issue to Tony.  That she’s going to hate you for being so young and make Tony choose, and he’ll choose her.  That she is just after his money, and he’ll keep on giving in a futile attempt to buy her love.

“Alright, Old Man.  Time to suck it up.  We’re having a shower and you’re meeting your daughter.  You might be right.  She might just be here for your money.  It’s not like you don’t like throwing that around.”  You say, putting on your snark to protect you from the physical pain your feeling.

Tony moves into you and puts his head on your chest.  “Come with me.”

It’s said like a demand, but you know it’s a request.  He needs your support.  He needs somewhere there that’s on his side.  You press your lips to his forehead and hold him.  “Of course.  Now let’s go shower.  Get presentable.”

The meeting is just being held in one of the conference rooms with the lawyers there.  You sit on one side of the table with one lawyer on each side of you, one separated by an empty chair.  Tony paces the floor behind you. He’d tried sitting but he just fidgeted until he couldn’t take it anymore and got up.

A woman is directed into the room.  She is the spitting image of Tony.  Same eyes, same hair.  A little shorter than him.  She is also heavily pregnant.

A wave of nausea washes over you and you feel the blood drain from your face.  All you can think is how there is no way Tony can keep focus on Stark Industries, the Avengers, a new daughter, a soon to be grandchild and have any left for you and the baby you were going to have.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Tony groans  

Sarah flinches and furrows her brow, taking a seat at the table and resolutely keeping eye contact.

“Please, Mr Stark. There is no need for profanities.”  A shorter man says following Sarah into the room.  He is followed by a redhead who looked exactly like Tony’s type back in his youth.  You assume he is the lawyer and the redhead is Evelyn.  “Ms Walker here only wanted to meet you.  All this…”   He indicates around the room.  “Was your idea.”  The man extended his hand to Tony.  “I’m Nicholas Zhang.  Representing Ms Waker.”

Tony look at Nicholas’ hand before Mike, one of his lawyers gets up and shake it in place of Tony.  “We assume this has to do with money.  Let’s get down to terms.”

Sarah flinches like someone had slapped her..  “I don’t want money, Mister Stark.  I just wanted to meet my dad.”

“Then why leave it so long?  You’re 28.  Why wait until now?”  Tony asks folding his arms over his chest and looking down at her.

Evelyn rolls her eyes.  “I told you this was a mistake.  This… this is why I didn’t want you to meet him.   He’s as selfish, self-centered, narcissist.  Didn’t even have the courtesy to leave a note.  I was hustled out of his home by staff.”

Tony turns on her, the fury in his eyes was like nothing you’ve ever seen before.  He slams his hands down on the table in front of her.  Everyone jumps.  “So you steal 28 years from us?  28 years and you call me selfish?”  He shouts.

Sarah raises a tentative hand and puts it on Tony’s arm.  “Mistakes were made.  I always wanted to know.  Mom refused to say because she said she was protecting me.”  She says.  Tony turns to look at her.  “I only convinced her because I said I wanted my son to know where he came from.  I don’t want your money Mr Stark.  I was hoping we could have a relationship.”

Tony collapses into the chair.  All the anger he’d been holding in seeps out of him.  He rubs his left arm like it’s causing him pain and stares at the ceiling for a moment.  Slowly he takes his glasses off and rubs his eyes before sitting up and looking at Sarah.  “Alright, so we make this right.  Where do we start?”

Sarah looks around the room.  “Do you think we can just talk alone for a while?  Then go from there?”

“That sounds like a start.  Why don’t we take a walk?”  Tony says getting to his feet.  Evelyn opens her mouth to say something but Sarah stares her down as she pulls herself to her feet.  Tony turns to you and leans down, kissing you on the crown of the head.  “Thank you, honey.  I can take it from here.”

You smile up at him and rub his arm.  “Of course, old man.  I’ll just go to the lab.”

Sarah looks at you eyes narrowed.  “And who is this?”

You realize that she has assumed you were one of the lawyers.  “Hi, I’m your stepmom.”  You joke, holding out your hand for her to shake.

She doesn’t say anything, just shakes your hand, squeezing just that little bit too hard.


	3. 3. Bargaining, 4. Depression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony tries to deal with the fact he has a pregnant girlfriend and a pregnant daughter by throwing money at the problem.

Watching Tony trying to balance you and your pregnancy and the fact he also was getting to know his daughter, would have been funny if you weren’t directly involved in that balancing act.  It wouldn’t even be so bad if his daughter wasn’t also your age and pregnant.  But she was and everything just felt awkward and difficult.

You tried very hard to be patient with everything.  Him, her, yourself.  But it was like everything that was involved with you was now just side project.  Which was particularly painful after your first ultrasound.

Tony was right there by your side, holding your hand. Because of how early in the pregnancy it was they were doing an internal and you pulled a face and squeezed his hand as the tech moved the wand around inside you looking for the little flutter of life that was your baby.

She found it alright.  Boy, did she find it.  “Well, would you look at this.”  She said moving the wand around.  “Do you see this little flutter here?”

You and Tony looked at the flickering black and white image in the mix of weird shapes and smudges on the screen.  “Is that the heartbeat?”  Tony asked.

“That’s right.”  The tech replied.   Tony’s hand squeezed around yours and the biggest smile broke out on his face making his eyes crinkle at the corners.   “And over here, is the heartbeat of baby number two.”

It felt like time stopped.  You stared at the screen for what you were sure was an eternity but was really just a split second.  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me?”  You groaned letting your head fall back on the table.

After your appointment, you and Tony walked back to his car and he swung his arm around your shoulder.  “Think you might be able to stop speaking things into reality, honey?”  He teased.

You groaned and ran your hands down your face.  “Oh god, what if she is married to one of my exes?”

Tony started laughing as he hit the unlock button on the red Tesla Roadster and opened the door for you.  You smacked his ass as you slid into the bucket seat and he went around to the other side of the car and jumped in over the door.  “Shall we see?”  He asked getting out his phone and searching the internet.  He flicked up a screen so it projected against the windscreen of the Tesla.  “Says here that Sarah Waker married David Lee in a small ceremony in Westchester two years ago.  Kept her own name I see.”  He mused.  “Here are some wedding photos.  You know that guy?”

You narrow your eyes and peer at the screen.  “No.  I don’t know him.”

He closed everything up and started the car.  “Alright then.  So relax.  Shall we go check out some kinda baby emporium or bazaar and try and plan for twins?”

You nod slowly.  “Yeah.  Okay.”

“Twins for crying out loud.  You don’t do anything by halves do you?”  He teased as he pulled the car out of the street.

“God, Tony.”  You groan.  “How are we even going to do this?  You’re like a million years old.”

He started to silently laugh, pursing his lips as his eyes glittered.  “You are a real little shit, you know that?”

“Yeah, but you love me.”  You teased.

He leaned over and quickly pecked you on top of the head.  “Lucky for you.”

For the next week or so Tony went about hiring contractors to remodel the penthouse to there was a nursery right off the master bedroom.  At the end of the day, he would sit with you on the couch while you ate, going through ridiculously expensive baby furniture and potential artists to paint a mural on the wall.  There was a little print off of the scan with the two little peanut shaped blobs stuck to the fridge and you kept catching him staring at it and just after he’d come to you with some new expensive thing he thought he should pay for.  He even brought up schools more than once.

Then he went to a doctors appointment with Sarah.  She invited him to come to make him feel involved.  Or so she said.  You spent the day working in the lab and when you finished for the day he still wasn’t home.  You ordered food in and ate it while watching TV waiting for him.  He got home at around nine beaming.  “Sorry I’m late, dear.”  He said, flopping on the couch beside you and putting his feet on the coffee table.  “I took her shopping after.  All her baby things were second hand and I can’t have a grandson of mine without the best.”  He said, stealing a cookie from the plate you had.  “Then I had dinner with her and David.”

You tensed up a little at the mention of him shopping.  Ever since you had met her, you had this feeling that she was after his money and she was so cold to you because you were getting in the way of it.  You tried to shrug it off though.  It was his daughter after all and you couldn’t get in the way of it.  Nor did you want to.  “It’s fine.  I learned how to use the internet to order food a long time ago.”

He patted your knee.  “You know you can get FRIDAY to do it for you, right?”

You laughed and clutched your head in mock frustration.  “Damnit!  I was trying to show off!”

Tony joined in your laughter and pulled out his wallet and opened it up.  He slid out another ultrasound print out.  “Look at this.”  He said holding it out to you.  “It’s an actual baby shape.  Head and legs.  Little hands.  It’s all built just doing the last bit of coding.”

You chuckle at his use of words as you look at the black and white picture.  It does look a like a baby.  Especially compared to the weird blob shapes that are the twins.  You didn’t think it was possible for a trip to a doctors appointment with Sarah could eclipse the fact he just found out he was going to have twins a week and a half ago.  But here it was.  Her baby looked like a baby.  It was a real recognizable thing.  Whereas yours were this abstract concept still.  You weren’t even showing yet.  Just puking your guts out for half the day.

“That’s your grandkid.”  You said touching the picture.  “You’re going to be a grandfather.”

“I know.  And you know what’s weird?  I’m scared of so much stuff right now.  Being a bad dad.  Not being able to fix this with Sarah.  Somehow doing something that messes us up.  But the grandpa bit, not a big deal at all.  You get to spoil your grandkids right?  Buy them the toys their parents said they couldn’t have.  Give them ice cream for dinner before sending them home.  I can do that.  That’s easy.”

You turned yourself toward him and ran your hand down his neck.  “I love you so much, you know?”

He smiled and shook his head.  “Alright, no need to get sappy.”  He replied and leaned in and kissed you.

That was how he balanced things though.  He’d spend way too much time and money on one of you, then suddenly would switch to the other.  You started to worry constantly about him.  About what he was thinking was necessary to be a suitable father figure.  You kept telling him he didn’t need to buy your love.  That he had it.  That the babies would love him regardless as long as he was there.  He couldn’t seem to stop.  Work started on the nursery.  He hired an artist to paint a mural.  He was designing tech to monitor breathing so we knew when they were going to wake up before it happened.  He even donated a library to a school to ensure they’d get it.  He kept buying toys and clothes.  It wasn’t just for the twins though.  He’d bring things for you home regularly too.  He kept asking you if there was more he could do?  Did you want to get massages?  Go to a spa?  Get your hair done?

For everything he was doing here for you it was more so with Sarah.  To the point, they started house shopping.  You tried not to question it, despite how uncomfortable it made you feel but the one time you did he said he missed out on so much that he owed her.

You and Sarah were not exactly getting along either.  It was uncomfortable and awkward being around her.  It made you feel every second of the age difference between you and Tony when she was there.  Not to mention she always just spoke to you tersely, like you weren’t welcome.  Which made you, in turn, speak to her that way.

So it wasn’t a balancing act Tony was performing.  It was a wildly swinging pendulum of trying to keep people happy around him by trying to buy their happiness.

That was until you woke one night to find the bed empty.  You were now 16 weeks pregnant and having to see the doctor regularly because twins were high risk.  You had found out they were identical which upped the risk again.  Things were going fine though.  They were both growing at a fairly consistent rate.  You were still working, but making sure to take it easy and not stay late.  Sarah was coming up to her due date and really the baby could come at any time.

You got up and put on a robe heading to the elevator and catching it to the engineering lab.  Tony was right where you thought he’d be.  Working on another Iron Suit.  Hyper Focused.  But the stress was showing on his features.  You approached him slowly and wrapped your arms around his waist from behind.   “Couldn’t sleep, old man?”

He didn’t say anything for the longest time, just continued to work until he sighed and turned in your arms.  He hid his face in your chest and his hands ran over the slight swell of your belly.  “I can’t do this.  I don’t know how to do this.  I’m trying.  But how can I make up for all that lost time?  And how can I be the father I need to be to these two when I am such a fucking mess?  They’re gonna have a sister they barely know because you can’t be in the same room as her.  They’re gonna have a nephew that’s older than them.  I’ve fucked up so many things in my life and this just feels like the worst one.  Normally I can fix it.  I go to the lab.  I spend some money.  Not everything, but a lot of things that’s all I need to do.  But this, this is so messed up and I’ve got no idea how to fix it.”

Your arms tightened around him and you buried your face in his neck.  “This isn’t a money problem, Tony.  You can’t just buy her love and I’m worried about you.  I’m worried you keep throwing all this cash at her and that’s all she wants.”

He shook his head.  “I don’t care about the money.  I have money.  She can have as much as she likes, I’ll make more.  I wish it was money.  She’s like you.  You know that?  Just keeps saying I don’t have to, it’s too much.  She doesn’t need it.  But if I’d gotten to raise her, you don’t think I wouldn’t have bought her everything?”

You started to cry.  The weight of the pain his was carrying suddenly bearing down on you.  It had never once occurred to you, that you, with all the concerns you had about him being used, that you were the problem here.  Or at least a big part of it.

“I’m sorry, Tony.”  You whispered against his skin.  “I’ll fix this okay?”

He let out a short laugh.  “Alright, dear.  Whatever you say.”

“I will. Or at least, I’ll make friends.  I shouldn’t have been making it worse like that.”  You insisted.

He looked up at you and cupped your chin.  “I sometimes wonder what I did to deserve you.”

You shake your head.  “From the sounds of it something pretty terrible.  You better pick up the act there, pal.”

He laughed and pulled you into a kiss.  It was hard and passionate, but you felt every ounce of the love he felt for you in it.  When he pulled apart he rested his forehead against yours.  “If you and Sarah could get along, it would really help.”

He gave a small nod.  “I won’t let you down.”  Now you just had to think of a way to convince her of that too.


	4. 5. Acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You go to visit Tony’s daughter in an attempt to build bridges. It ends with a dramatic turn of events.

The drive up to Westchester is far from a pleasant experience.  Not just because the traffic was thick and you found yourself not moving at all at some points.  Not just because there was a storm rapidly approaching and you were worried that you were going to get trapped in it.  But because you were on your way to meet with Sarah.  Sarah the heavily pregnant daughter of Tony Stark.  Sarah who was basically your step-daughter if you thought too hard about it.  Sarah who was your age plus a couple of months.  Sarah who you were pretty sure hated your guts.

The worst part is you need to eat humble pie.  You really hope she’s serving.

After what feels like an endless journey you pull Tony’s red Tesla Roadster into Sarah’s driveway.  You take a deep breath looking up at the house that Tony had purchased.  It is a large, white, colonial home in a good neighborhood and has been fitted with extra security.  The kind that recognizes you and has let you pull the car up to the house unannounced in the first place.  You take a few deep breaths and get out heading to the door.

It takes you a moment before you can muster up the courage to press the doorbell and just as you go to do it, it flies open.  “What are you doing here?”  Sarah demands.

You startle and take a step back.  “I - I uh… it’s about your dad.”  You stutter.

The look of fear that crosses her features is both genuine and so familiar.  You’ve seen it so many times in Tony when he’s right on the precipice of a panic attack.  “Tony?  Is he okay?  Was it a mission?  I told him he should stop.  Why can’t he listen?  Is he in the hospital?   We should go.”

You reach out and take her hand and her eyes snap to yours.  “He’s okay.  It’s not serious.  Can we talk?”

She looks around wildly again before letting you inside.  You follow her into her kitchen and she directs you to the kitchen table.  “Can I get you a drink?”  She asks.  Her face scrunches up momentarily and she rubs the small of her back.

“I’m fine.  Are you okay?”  You ask.

“Yeah.  Yeah.  Braxton Hicks.  Have fun with them when you get them.”  She says sitting opposite you.  “What is it then?  What’s wrong?”

You take a deep breath in and let it out slowly.  “Tony.  Your dad.  He has really bad anxiety.  When something’s bothering him, he can’t sleep.  He has panic attacks.  He eats really badly.”

“He’s having them now?”  She asks and narrows her eyes at you.  “You think it’s because of me don’t you?”

“Yes.  No.  Not exactly.  I think… it’s everything.  I think it’s because he suddenly has an adult daughter and a grandson on the way.  I think it’s because he’s nearly fifty and expecting twins.  Mostly I think it’s because you and I don’t get along.”  You explain.

She tries to fold her arms over her chest but the size of her belly and the fact her breasts have swollen make it awkward.  She lets her arms drop and makes another pained expression.  “If you think…”

“If I think what?  That we can maybe be civil for a man who is in both our lives?  Is that really too much to ask?”  You implore.

“Just because you sleep with him and manage to get knocked up doesn’t mean I’m going to let you take advantage of him.  He’s a good person and he doesn’t deserve that.”  She says.  The words sound almost like pleading though.  Like she is begging you to have some compassion.

You start laughing.  It comes in slowly at first and then becomes slightly hysterical until you can’t control it and you’re doubled over and wheezing.  The whole time Sarah stare at you with a mixture of anger and confusion.  “What’s so funny?”  She asks.

“Don’t you get it?  I thought the same thing about you.”  You wheeze.

“You thought I was after his money?  He’s my dad!”  She says sounding affronted.

There is a loud crash of thunder and the rain comes in heavily against the window.  You both jump and look around startled before laughing uneasily.  You look back at Sarah and smile weakly.

“I’m sorry.  It’s just…”  You shake your head.  “When I met you, you obviously didn’t like me.  Then, all Tony did was go out with you and come home and tell me about the new things he bought for you.  He’s really excited about being a grandfather and it felt like you were taking advantage.  I get the baby stuff, but he’s buying you cars and houses.”

“I didn’t ask for all this.  I told him I didn’t want all this.  He just insists.  He keeps saying that he missed too many things, and if he’d raised me I would have had all this and more.  I just want him in my life.  But what does that even matter to you?  At least he’s related to me.  You’re just some…”  She catches herself.  “You drove here in a sports car.”

“Yeah.  His sports car.  That he owns.  And is fitted with FRIDAY so that I can’t have a car accident and has extra safety features that he installed himself.”  You explain.  “It took me so long to come to terms with the gifts.  It made me feel bought and I had to start making things for him so it felt like that there was any kind of even balance of power.  That’s why he has origami animals everywhere.  I know it’s dumb, but he seems to like them and I needed something even if it is dumb.”

“You’re telling me that you aren’t with him for the money?”  She asks, still looking at you suspiciously.

You shake your head.

“Then why?  He’s so much older than you.  You always call him ‘old man’.  I was sure it was a sugar daddy thing.”  She says.

You shake your head laughing a little.  “The old man thing is an in-joke.  From before we were together.  He used to call me new meat when I started working with Bruce.  I’m with him despite how scared I am of how public he is, and Iron Man, and the money, and the age.  We’re kinda the same person.  There’s a reason we’re not married.  It hasn’t even crossed either of our minds that that’s a thing you do.”

She made a pained sound and rubbed the small of her back and her stomach.

“Are you sure it’s just Braxton Hicks?”  You ask looking at her with your brow furrowed.

She nods.  “Yeah.  They’ve been on and off all week.”  She replies waving you off.  “I’ll never get the May-December thing.”

“I think you and I maybe need to remember that Tony is actually really smart and maybe we need to trust his judgment.  He doesn’t let people in easily.  Not since… the thing… with that guy who was friends with his dad.”  You explain lamely.  “If he has let us in he trusts us and we both need to accept that.”

She takes a breath in, holds it, and lets it out.  “Okay.  You’re right.  If it’s hurting Tony we should try.  Who knows, maybe we can be friends?”

“I’d like that.  I did hope we could be when I heard about you.”   You say.

There is a brief silence between the two of you, and you both just sit awkwardly glancing around the kitchen.  “You went to Hackley right?”  She asks after a little while.

“Yeah.  That’s right.”   You reply.

“Did you know a Kelly Hanlon?”

You nod.  “Yeah, we took a few things together.  Biology and Calculus.”

“She’s my cousin.”  She says.

You laugh and she stands up.  “You sure you don’t want coffee or something?”

“Maybe just a water.”  You say with a smile.

She starts to walk over in that trademark waddle of the heavily pregnant and she stops suddenly and holds her side.  A wet patch forms on her pants and she looks down.  “Oh great, I peed myself.  No one said that was a side effect.  But they don’t tell you shit.  Have you found that?”

You look her up and down.  “You sure you peed yourself?  That wasn’t your water breaking?”  You ask.

“Isn’t it more like a gush?  I thought it was like a gush?  That’s what it always is on TV.”  She says slightly defensively.  “It can’t be.  I’m not due for three weeks.  And David is away until Tuesday.”

You shake your head.  “I don’t know.  Let me… I think it can be not much.”  You get out your phone and have a look.  “It says if it’s colorless or odorless but it can be a slow leak.”

“Oh shit.  Shit.”  She says.  Let me… I’ll go clean up.  Can you wait?”  

You nod. “Of course.”

You wait patiently and when she comes back she looks panicked and about ready to cry.  “I think I’m in labor.  I had two contractions while I was checking and it’s still trickling out.”

You get up and put your arm around her.  “It’s gonna be fine.  But I think… if that’s how quickly they’re coming we need to get to the hospital.”

“I can’t have my baby yet!”  She cries.  “David isn’t here.”

“Okay.  Okay.”  You say trying to get your thoughts in order.  “You call David. Tell him.  And the hospital. Maybe you can get your mom to meet us there.  I’ll call Tony.  Then I’ll drive you.”

She nods and leaves the room again.  You take out your phone and dial Tony.

“Yes, dear?”   Tony says in a way of greeting.  You can hear the banging of metal, so you know he’s in the lab.

“I’m at Sarah’s house.”  You say.

There’s a pause where everything goes silent.  “Why?”

“I was… doesn’t matter.  She’s in labor.”  You say.

This is greeted by a loud clang.  “What?  Is she okay?”

“David’s not here.  You need to get him and you need to meet us at the hospital.”

“On it.”  He says quickly and hangs up.

You go to find Sarah and find her frantically throwing things into a bag as she talks on the phone.  You help her pack a couple of times pausing to rub her back through a contraction.

You eventually get to the car while she’s still on the phone with her mom and start driving to the hospital in the pelting rain.  When you are almost there you think you catch sight of one of the Iron Man suits flying overhead.  It’s confirmed when you pull up to Maternity and it’s just standing there like a silent sentinel watching the door.

When you step through the doors Tony rushes over to you in that tornado with style way that he does.  Making himself the center of attention without actually causing any damage.  “Are you okay?   _We need a nurse over here!_  Do you want a wheelchair?   _What do we have to do to get a pregnant woman admitted here?_ I have a Quin going to collect David.  He should be here in an hour.”

A nurse and an orderly come rushing over.  Tony Stark has a lot of pull and even in a hospital, it gets you seen fast.  You follow along as Sarah gets wheeled to a delivery room and she tells the nurse about when the labor pains started.  How far apart the contractions are now.  When her water broke.

At the door, you stop and Tony goes to follow you in but Sarah stops him.  “No.  I’m not…”  She looks back at you with a pained expression and you get it totally.  This is going to be personal and messy and she isn’t ready to have Tony see her like that.

“Sorry, gramps, you can wait out here with me.”  You say grabbing his arm.

“Can you come in?”  She asks still looking at you.  “Just until my mom gets here?”

Tony looks at you imploringly and you nod.  “Yeah of course.”

You sit in the delivery room as Sarah is poked and prodded.  She has her blood pressure tested and they check to see how dilated she is.  She holds your hand the whole time.  Each contraction she has, you rub her back through.  Finally, Evelyn shows up and you tag out of the room as quickly as you can without making it look like you are as desperate to leave as you feel.

You flop down on the couch Tony is sitting.  He’s looking around anxiously as he drinks coffee from a white styrofoam cup.

“I am so glad we’re having a planned c-section let me tell you.  That was stressful.”  You say, leaning your head on his shoulder.

His hand goes protectively to the swell of your stomach.  “Are you all okay?”

You nod.  “Yeah.  Me and these guys are fine.  Sarah is scared but they stuck this weird wire thing up inside her and attached it to the babies head.”

“They did what?”  Tony yelps.

“I know!  I was like ‘what the fuck is this futuristic nightmare show?’”  You say.  “But it monitored his heartbeat and he’s fine.  She’s pretty far along though.  I hope David makes it in time.”

So you wait.  Sometimes sitting.  Sometimes pacing.  At one point you fall asleep curled up on the couch your head in Tony’s lap.  Occasionally Evelyn comes out to get ice and update Tony about what’s going on.  The air is always chilly between them when she does.

David shows up after about an hour and a half.  He runs in and looks around frantically.  “Where is she?”  He asks.

Tony points at the room.  “Hurry up and you might get to play catcher.”

Less than thirty minutes after he goes in a huge stuffed dog, the biggest arrangement of flowers you’ve ever seen in person and a huge bunch of balloons gets hauled into the maternity ward.  Tony gets up and organizes a room to have it put in.  Not long after he gets back Evelyn comes out.

“Well, you have a grandson.”  She says.

You and Tony both stand and look at her.  “Can we go in and see them?”  Tony asks.

She gives a curt nod and you and Tony go into the room a little tentatively.  Sarah is lying back, sweaty and exhausted, and wrapped in a blanket.  Her newborn son is swaddled and in her arms.

“Hey, Sarah.  Look at what you did.”  Tony says quietly approaching her.

“Congratulations, grandpa.”  She replies smiling at him.  “Do you want to hold him?”

He looks terrified for a split second.  “Yeah.  Yes.  You don’t mind?”

“Better get used to it.”  She answers.

Tony awkwardly takes the infant and a nurse comes and instructs him how to support the head.  You have never seen him look so much like a fish out of water.

“Look at you.  You’re a natural, old man.”  You say with a laugh.

“Does he have a name?”  Tony asks as he looks down at the tiny bundle, rocking him just a little.

“He does.”  Sarah answers.  “He’s Paul Anthony Lee.”

“You named him after me?”  Tony asks, his voice cracking.

“We did,”  Sarah says with a smile.  “Is that okay?”

He nods but doesn’t say anything.

“I never thought I’d live to see the day.”  You tease.  “Tony Stark is lost for words.”

Tony looks at you and you can tell he’s trying not to laugh.  “You are in so much trouble.”

“Tony.  Why don’t you let Paul’s Granny hold him.”  Sarah says, nodding in your direction.

Tony starts laughing and begins handing the baby over to you.  “Why you gotta play me like that?”  You tease.  “Granny?  I thought we were friends, Sarah.”


End file.
